


When it's cold (I'll wrap my scarf around you)

by dearericbittle (dutchmoxie)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Banter, Derek Hale is a Softie, Fluff, Future Fic, Knitting, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dutchmoxie/pseuds/dearericbittle
Summary: Derek taking some time to knit a scarf is definitely not the most scandalous thing that Stiles could have found when he used his key. Maybe not even the most embarrassing thing. Still, Derek definitely isn’t expecting Stiles to ask Derek to make him something instead of just outright laughing at him.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 26
Kudos: 389
Collections: A Very Sterek Winter 2021





	When it's cold (I'll wrap my scarf around you)

**Author's Note:**

> Watch my depressed ass post all the fluff.

Derek learned to knit as a kid. His grandma wouldn’t stand for him just being stuck in his room, reading - and even though she wouldn’t force him out with the rest of the pack either, she still didn’t let him have any much needed solitude either. 

Sitting with her as she knitted the entire pack scarves and hats and sweaters was supposed to be a compromise, until it evolved into Derek knitting alongside his beloved Granny. His first projects had plenty of dropped stitches, and his first scarves and hats were plain and on the ugly side of things. But he’s gotten a lot better since, even though he only recently started having more time to get back to his hobby. 

The pack has settled down somewhat now that everyone is older, and now that the McCall pack has somewhat of a reputation in the supernatural world. It keeps any roaming packs far away. 

And it allows Derek to just sit on the couch in his boring apartment and knit a nice patterned scarf for Melissa Delgado (the only one who’s figured it out so far, but also bribed easily enough) while he watches whatever Netflix has decided that Derek absolutely needs to see. 

He’s about halfway through the scarf - and starting the third episode - when Stiles bursts in. 

“This is not what you should be using that key for,” Derek tries so hard to be casual.

Stiles is the only one with a key to this apartment, and not because he’s the most responsible member of the pack - because he definitely isn’t. It’s because he trusts Stiles more than anyone else, because he can trust Stiles to use that key to keep him safe if needed. This though, this is definitely not anything related to keeping Derek (or any other pack members) safe. 

This is some kind of snooping. It has to be. 

“Derek, are you knitting?” Stiles’ mouth is wide, his eyes gleeful. 

Is there a reason that he’s been hiding the knitting from Stiles in particular? Maybe. It hasn’t escaped Derek’s notice that Stiles is all grown up now, and while he can still be the most annoyingly persistent little shit, he’s also loyal and smart and well… Attractive. 

And single, these days. Even though he does have flings from time to time, and Derek tries really hard not to have any kind of opinion about that. He usually fails. 

But at least he doesn’t say any of it out loud. 

“Can you make me something?” 

That is not the follow-up question that Derek has been anticipating.

Honestly, Derek has been dreading this moment - because of course he has always known that Stiles was going to find out about his hobby eventually. He’s Stiles. He knows things. But he’s been expecting some relatively mild mockery instead of the almost awed look on Stiles’ face as Derek’s hands continue to move at a rapid pace. 

It’s not like he even has to think about this anymore. 

“Oh, can you teach me?” Stiles just keeps asking questions, as is his wont. “Is that a scarf you’re making? Who is it for? Are you making it for anyone in particular? Is it for your mysterious girlfriend? Not so mysterious boyfriend? Life partner of any particular gender? Sister? I don’t see Cora needing a warm scarf in South-America. And I don’t think this is Peter’s style for some reason - he’s into that expensive shit. Oh, is this for Isaac? He likes scarves.” 

Isaac is in France - still, because he has a life there, unlike in Beacon Hills - so unless Derek has the audacity to ship this to him and think of an excuse to use that won’t get him caught in an obvious lie… Yeah, that definitely isn’t happening and Stiles knows it. 

Also, Stiles just needs to let go of the scarf jokes. 

“Isaac wore a scarf in front of you two times,” Derek cannot believe this. 

“And I will never let it go,” Stiles grins smugly. “It’s California. Scarves are douchey.” 

All of this just seconds after asking Derek if he could make Stiles something - he really is too much, and Derek has to work very hard not to let his fondness show too much. Of course scarves are douchey - that word, ugh - if Stiles doesn’t have a handmade scarf of his own, which he will undoubtedly be begging for any second now. 

After Derek shows him just how wrong making assumptions can be. 

“I’ll tell Melissa you feel that way,” Derek is triumphant. 

“Melissa McCall?” Stiles has a healthy fear of her, as most sensible people do. “Delgado? Are you knitting something for your Alpha’s mom? Are you being blackmailed?” 

It’s not blackmail really, and Melissa probably wouldn’t actually embarrass him in front of the pack, but Derek is definitely particularly motivated to finish this scarf soon - and make it some of his absolute best work. So far, his Granny definitely would have been proud of it. 

She probably would have stolen it before Melissa could even get her hands on it. 

“Melissa saw me buying supplies once,” Derek reveals. “She figured it out.” 

Normally, doing his shopping during the way and at least one town over would have been enough to keep it from the pack. He really hadn’t counted on Melissa Delgado. 

Most people don’t. Which is why she’s so effective. 

“Definitely blackmail,” Stiles looks so damn proud. “She truly is a queen among mortals.” 

Stiles is definitely still hoping that his Dad will marry Melissa at some point, and Derek cannot blame him for that one. She reminds him of Talia sometimes, and mostly that just really fucking hurts. Sometimes though, sometimes it’s nice to get hit with that vaguely motherly pride. 

Even though she refuses to accept the pack mom title. 

“So, are you going to teach me?” Stiles actually bats his eyelashes at Derek. 

“And have you all tangled up in yarn in about five minutes?” Derek knows what to expect. “I know exactly what would happen if I left you alone with this for maybe ten seconds. You’d try and find out how it works - and when I’d come back there’d just be knotted yarn left, with you somewhere in the middle of it, playing dumb and pretending you don’t know how it happened.” 

Maybe Stiles wouldn’t even need all ten of those seconds. If Derek has learned anything over the course of the past… 8 (?) years, it’s that chaos has always been attracted to Stiles and Stiles to it in return. It can be devastating and hilarious, and it can be kind of adorable while also being a complete pain in the ass, which is how he’s expecting the Stiles plus yarn part of this equation to play out. There’s no way it won’t end up in complete chaos. 

“It’s like you don’t know me at all,” Stiles is only playing at being offended. 

It’s precisely because he knows Stiles so well that he knows better than to invite even more chaos in - and they both know it. They’ve had this conversation too many times for this not to feel like it’s normal. Derek is pretty sure that he knows the script by now. 

“No ‘how dare you’ this time?” 

“I’m trying to change things up,” Stiles grins. “Seriously, though, Der, this is great. I won’t even tell the rest of the pack - unless they ask me outright because I can’t lie to werewolves.” 

Most of the time Derek is very aware that Stiles has grown up since high school - though somehow he occasionally manages to forget that Stiles isn’t just going to go blabbing people’s embarrassing secrets just because he thinks it’s funny. He’s come a long way from the boy who thought it was a good idea to go looking for Laura’s body in the woods. 

“And I’m sure you don’t want anything in return?” Derek  _ knows _ him. 

“I mean obviously you have to make me things,” Stiles says that as if it’s a given - and maybe it is. “Anything else I ask would sound too much like blackmail.” 

Which means that he would never outright ask for anything that Derek can’t knit together with yarn, but he’d totally hint at it because he’s still a bit of an asshole sometimes. An asshole who would totally blackmail someone he didn’t like over an embarrassing secret. 

If this had been Jackson? Stiles would have asked Jackson for many favors. Because he could. 

“Exactly,” Derek has to point it out. 

“I’ve outgrown most of my criminal tendencies,” Stiles argues. “Besides, making you date me to keep your secret would be kind of shitty of me. I was gonna ask you, but I don’t want you to think that you have to say yes just because I know your secret now.” 

Stiles was going to ask? All of this was about asking him out? Is this why Stiles came running in here earlier, using his key for no apparent reason instead of just knocking and waiting for Derek to open the door? Had Stiles been trying to do something romantic? Only this idiot would think that Derek would need some kind of big gesture to make him say yes. 

Or blackmail. Which… Idiot. 

“How about just asking me out?” Derek cannot believe this idiot. 

“Less exciting without the blackmail element,” Stiles is now just babbling because he needs to process the unexpected thing that Derek just did. “But I guess we could try it.”

Yep, that’s definitely actual surprise on Stiles’ face. All this from the guy who literally just told Derek that he intended to ask him out. Was he asking even though he didn’t expect Derek to say yes? How could he think that? Derek was always going to say yes to this. 

“Stiles.”

“You try having the love of your life telling you he’d like to be asked out,” Stiles just continues to babble at him, even flailing a little. “Let’s see how you’d do with that.”

The love of his life?  _ Stiles _ . 

“The love of my life called dating me less exciting without blackmail,” Derek grins smugly at Stiles, because finally. “I seem to be doing fine. Ask me. I’ll say yes. And I’ll knit you something pretty to wear for the next date.”

Derek decides to put his knitting to the side completely, hoping it’ll encourage Stiles to keep going, keep thinking about that second date. Because the second that Stiles realizes that Derek is so very sure about this, he’ll maybe stop looking so worried and nervous. Because sure, it’s going to be a pretty important first date, but it’s still only a first date. 

There are going to be many others if Derek has anything to say about it. 

“How long do potholders take to knit?”

“What?”

Not very long, but Derek is not going to tell Stiles anything until he knows why Stiles is asking. That is a lesson he learned long ago, and not one he’ll easily forget. 

“So we can go on that second date quickly,” Stiles is far too smart for his own good. 

It’s smooth too, and Derek smiles. He can make something within a day, if he doesn’t really have anything else going on. Stiles has no idea - he’ll learn. 

Just like he’ll learn to knit. Eventually. 

Derek already knows that he’ll cave on that front. He just needs to give himself a little more time to prepare for the inevitable chaos that will ensue. 

Even though he’s kind of looking forward to it now. 


End file.
